Karen (Catherine Hicks) is a young widow who buys from a homeless man a doll from the series Type Beautiful For the birthday of his little son Andy (Alex Vincent).
They cannot know that the puppet is actually alive: the fearsome strangler Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif), thanks to a black magic ritual, transferred his soul into the toy before he died and will now use the little boy for his revenge and to get a human body back...
It is the most famous film and the one that redesigned the horror dolls movie.
Chucky is a well-rounded antagonist, foul-mouthed and evil, who becomes terrifying with the body of a toy: his new form is his trap but also his strength.
Previous films about dolls insisted on ventriloquists, dolls of exotic origin, puppets animated by demons, spirits, and with even metaphorical purposes (such as the dolls of Dolls).
Here the whole thing is less specious and unapologetic, in full 80s style.
The suspense is well orchestrated, and half an hour goes by before we hear the doll speak, but the pace remains very high.
Authentic cult film.
Good acting and special effects, though limited, still effective. Not bad music.
Review by Zick
